NORMAN, Okla. — Stefan Welsh has heard it before: Arkansas can’t win on the road. That’s why the Razorbacks’ sophomore guard was so disappointed after the Hogs failed to prove the doubters wrong on Saturday, when they lost 83-72 to Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Welsh, along with guard Gary Ervin and forward Michael Washington were defiant following the game — unwilling to concede that the problems of the past are continuing to haunt them.

“ People are going to say what they want to say, ” Welsh said. “ We fought. They just hit more shots than we did. ”

Like it did so many times away from home in previous years, Arkansas (8-2 ) folded down the stretch. A game that was a nipand-tuck affair transformed into a runaway victory for the Sooners in the final three minutes, 54 seconds of regulation. Oklahoma (8-3 ) scored 15 of the last 22 points in the game and by the end the fans who had braved the cold weather outside showed their appreciation by waving white towels and delivering a loud ovation.

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The Razorbacks, meanwhile, walked off the court with the realization that their road record had dropped to 9-38 since the beginning of the 2002-2003 season.

“ It’s all about executing and being aggressive the last four minutes of the game, ” Ervin said. “ The first 36 minutes prepare you for the last four minutes. We’re stuck on the road down two with four minutes. But down near the end of the game, they made the effort plays and got the easy baskets. ”

And as a result, Arkansas was handed its second loss of the season. The other defeat took place in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, where the Razorbacks lost by 16 points to Providence in mid-November.

Under previous coach Stan Heath, Arkansas earned a reputation for stumbling outside of Fayetteville. Last season, the Razorbacks won only two of the 10 games they played on the road.

Going into the game on Saturday, Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said he was hoping to reverse that trend.

“ Certainly, we are all aware what happened in the past in terms of some of that stuff, ” Pelphrey said. “ But this is a new day. This was an opportunity for us to play a very good basketball team on the road. This was the time for us to go do this. We’ll get another chance. ”

But it won’t come until the Southeastern Conference schedule begins next year. Arkansas will travel to Auburn on Jan. 10. And in between now and then, the Razorbacks split their next four games between Bud Walton Arena and a pair of neutral sites. For the time being, however, the frustration from this loss will linger, according to Welsh.

“ We’re going to learn from this, ” Welsh said. “ We’ve just got to come together as a team and continue to grow. We’ve got six veteran guys. There is no excuse for us not winning on the road. We’ve just got to prove it. That’s why the loss is so depressing and we really can’t wait to get on the road again. ”